by Mark Walsh

If Club América’s Clausura 2008 season gets any worse, neutral observers of Mexican soccer will be in danger of feeling sorry for the once-strutting giants. The Águilas latest loss – a 1-0 home reverse against an atrocious Atlante – means the capital city club will finish in last place in the league’s general standings for the very first time in more than 60 years of professional competition. A fate that has already been confirmed with two games left to play.

Not only that, the president is a sitting duck having resigned in March in shame at the results, while the coach Rubén Omar Romano agreed to step down in a show of solidarity with his boss just a day later. Nonetheless, both men have remained in their posts until adequate replacements can be found, leaving Club América to drift rudderless through most of the Clausura 2008 season like a ghost ship in a storm.

Although most of this unmitigated disaster was self-inflicted – a lack of quality reinforcements at the turn of the year, a misplaced faith in young players, poor managerial appointments – there is a growing feeling in Coapa that an unhelpful hand of fate has conspired to bring the Eagles crashing to earth. Remarkably, the team that all other Mexican soccer fans love to hate is starting to provoke a dash of sympathy.

That feeling centers on the unusual figure of Romano. Despite doing a passable impression of spaghetti western bad guy, the gravelly-voiced Argentine - complete with shaggy hair, stubble and ubiquitous cigarette – has been under fire from almost the first day he took the job. Moreover, after overseeing such a disastrous run of results, Romano seems to have been in the Last Chance Saloon so long he might as well rent a room and a girl and stay for the night. Nobody would blame the Argentine if he had simply upped town and deserted the Estadio Azteca like a grumble weed in a dust storm, but rather than lowering his weapons, Romano has come out all guns blazing.

His sense of injustice was bared after América confirmed their pass to the knockout phase of the Copa Libertadores last week: “We qualified, we are in the second round, why don’t we talk about that or talk about those who didn’t qualify?” he raged. That comment was a clear barb at América’s deadly rivals Chivas of Guadalajara, who failed to progress in the Libertadores despite a table-topping campaign in the Mexican Primera División.

Sunday’s loss gave Romano more ammunition. América rested several key players after the exertions of midweek in the Libertadores, containing the sporadic attacks of miserable current champions Atlante with relative ease. The Argentine coach then introduced top striker Salvador Cabañas in the second period and everything seemed to be going to plan when the Paraguayan was slipped behind the defence and held his nerve to find the back of the net in the 75th minute. Eagles’ fans’ celebrations were short-lived, however, as referee Héctor Gómez failed to apply the advantage law and brought the game back for an earlier foul on an América player.

To add insult to injury, Atlante’s own star forward Giancarlo Maldonado took advantage of errors in the América rearguard to fire the winner just three minutes later.

Quite rightly, Romano was baffled by the refereeing decision – and furious. His rope-a-dope tactics of containment and counter-attack deserved a greater reward and his opinion of the referee was understandable. “I asked him why he disallowed the goal, but he didn’t say anything,” Romano fumed. “I don’t think he knows himself.”

Nonetheless, the latest defeat has left Romano with 21 games without a league win, a team that has mustered one point from the last 27 on offer and fans who are too fed up even to boo any more. And yet there comes a moment where blind stubbornness starts to look suspiciously like unswerving bravery. Fielding the umpteenth question about his future in the post match press conference, Romano steadfastly refused to resign. “And I’m going to win the Libertadores,” he declared, tiptoeing the fine line between stupidity and courage.

The Libertadores is something Chivas, on the other hand, can certainly forget about. Despite a fine 3-0 away win at altitude against Bolivian side San José on Wednesday, the  best team in Mexico (on paper, at least) crashed out of the continental competition following a run of three disappointing 1-0 losses earlier in the group stage – and the hangover could even threaten the Goats’ chances of a record 12th Primera División title.

Rayados’ tubby marksman Humberto Suazo, whose Clausura 2008 season has been sweeter than Gisele Bündchen eating an ice cream, secured the points for Monterrey on Saturday with a lovely push-and-run past a defender, before rounding the Chivas goalkeeper and clipping a left-foot finish home in the fifth minute. The winning goal kept Monterrey in second place in Group Two and looking good for the playoffs.

Both Chivas’ rivals at the top of the table took advantage of the slip-up by taking maximum points and cutting the gap at the top of section three, the “Group of Death”. Cruz Azul held on for a valuable 2-0 away win against Tecos despite spirited resistance from the home side, while San Luis secured three points with a 2-1 away win in Morelia. If Chivas’ Libertadores hangover lasts into the final two matches, the strength of Group Three means the Guadalajara side are in real danger of needing a wild card match to enter the playoffs.

Despite only two matches left, there is still all to play for elsewhere. Santos against Necaxa – the duel between the league’s best attack and best defence – produced a 1-1 draw in the 40 degree heat on Sunday to leave the Torreón side on the verge of the playoffs in Group Two, while Necaxa could still qualify for a wild card from Group Three.

At the top of Group One, Toluca were held to a 0-0 draw away to Pumas, who waved goodbye to any chance of qualifying for the post-season, while Jaguares were beaten at home 2-1 against Veracruz. The Red Sharks looked well-beaten for most of the encounter but bit back with two late goals to prolong an unlikely quest for salvation.

However, with rivals Puebla trouncing Pachuca 5-2, Veracruz need to take maximum points from remaining league games against Pumas and Tecos to stay in with a chance of survival. UANL Tigres, who can’t seem to put their relegation worries to bed, lost to Atlas 1-0 in Guadalajara, though the Monterrey side and Puebla need just a point to prolong their stay on the Maximum Circuit for another year.